Sharon's Souvenirs: May 2016

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Let's walk down to the beach...

Finally! My last (and almost forgotten) Costa Rica post from our 2015 trip. Until next time...my love.

I hereby interrupt Panama to post my last Costa Rica straggler.

I can't wait to get up when I'm staying at Hacienda Baru. But that could be said about every day of vacation. Sunrise means birds reveling, gentle sunlight, strong coffee and quite possibly, Huervos Rancheros. Heaven. This slice of heaven is found at Hacienda Baru in Costa Rica.

A kiskadee was waiting on a night light.

A Passerinis's Tanager sat in an aloof pose. But the composition is still striking.

This full bodied hibiscus is spitting out a well endowed stigma.

A black squirrel is spotted in a tree. Where else?

Do you see what I see? I would hate to do this photo, if it was turned into a puzzle.

Don't fall down on your way to the beach!

But, be sure to look up!

A Bare-throated Tiger -Heron posed beautifully against the deep blue sky.

But what is my favorite part of the walk? The beach. Of course. You'll step out of the tangle of jungle, squint your eyes and plant your feet onto the widest slip of sand this side of the Kalahari. At least it seems that way at low tide. And it doesn't get much better than that. Until tomorrow...

Meanwhile, I fulfilled a writing assignment over at The Chorus of the Crows And I clucked all about it...

The Links...

Travel Photo Thursday

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

The Pipeline Trail

We never really know what we're getting into when we hike in Central America. Most of the time, we end up getting in over our heads, huffing and puffing up an endless hill side. I remember fondly the hikes we took on the Hawaiian islands. All a person has to do is read the Hawaii/Kauai/Maui/Oahu Revealed books and they tell you all you need to know and more. Luckily, The Pipeline Trail in Boquete, Panama turned out to be a dream trail. It didn't have the vistas of some of the breathtaking Hawaii hikes we've conquered, but it was easy, lush, and at 2 1/2 hours round trip, you can accomplish it before lunch. Although, packing a picnic is always fun.

Peruse the sign...

Ha!

It's always interesting to see how the locals live.

I think the geese are very happy here.

Wild blooming trees and flowers were everywhere. The smell perfumed the whole journey.

There were 4 fun little bridge crossings.

And delightful birds and bugs.

These leaves were the size of manhole covers.

The Pipeline Trail has the distinction of growing the oldest tree in Central America. The only problem was that it wasn't marked. Is this it? I don't know. But we inspected all of the big ones. And there were quite a few great big beauties.

Now you know why it is called the Pipeline Trail!

Are you fed up with door to door solicitors? I ran across a whole new breed, over at The Chorus of the Crows

The links:

Travel Photo Thursday

My Favorite Trip

Image-in-ing

Practical Mondays

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

The Boquete Garden Inn

We stayed at the Boquete Garden Inn during our time in Panoramic Boquete, Panama last winter. The garden part, although small, didn't disappoint. It was full of birds and pretty flowers.

This charming walkway meandered to all of the rooms. Which were awkwardly designed, but nice. The worst part though, was staying on the first floor of the two story cabanas. I'm convinced that the couple staying above us, were humans by day, yet morphed into one of the beasts shown below by night. You'll have to use your imagination to attach a 1,000 ton body and loud clomping hooves to their snarling faces...

Scary!

The story of the masks...

If you don't throw all of the bar's drinks down your gullet, this creature will finish them for you. Ga!

Every morning, after a bird filled breakfast, I would sit in the sun by this fellow, and do some writing on my novel. The best part of the day.

My favorite bird feeder.

The Boquete Garden Inn, which is located on the banks of the Caldera river, did not have a view of the surrounding mountains at all. This was a huge disappointment. But what it did have, it had in spades. Little birds. The Inn plied three feeders around the breakfast area with a cash of fruit every morning. In fact, the birds got all of the papaya and the guests got bananas and pineapple. Two of my least favorite fruits. Damn birds! We were the first ones there all week. Ready with our cameras and as always, ready for breakfast. I have a ton of bird photos that will show up soon. Mornings really were magical!

And be sure to sidle up to The Chorus of the Crows for a funny tale about a former feathered floosie. Me!

The links:

Travel Photo Thursday

My Favorite Trip

Image-in-ing

Practical Mondays

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Meil Boquetena

Meil means honey in Spanish. You can learn all about living with pollinators, honey culture and the healthy benefits of eating raw honey by clicking here!

We took a honey tour while we were staying in beautiful Boquete, Panama. Meil Boquetena is located on a lovely hillside farm at the edge of the bucolic town. The tour culminated in the honey tasting room (not shown) I couldn't believe how diverse honey could be. There were dozens of intriguing flavors. Those Boquete bees have been busy! I divulge my favorite at the end of the post.

The farm.

This gentleman was nursing a wounded bird.

A family member

The flora and fauna was so diverse. I guess that's what makes Meil Boquetena honey the best I've ever tasted.

Yes, this flower is real. Psychedelic!

My favorite part of the tour (besides learning about bees and honey production in Panama) was the petroglyphs scattered around the property. A bonus. I guess the farm is located over a burial ground. And the glyphs are markers of some kind. I think.

But another theory is that the stones are energy markers. Or, at least some of them.

If you hold your hand over this mysterious spiral glyph and rotate it, you'll feel a burst of heat or energy. I don't know if the motion simply releases warmth from the stones that are baking in the sun, or what. But, it really worked! I always side on the mystical. It's more fun that way.

Meil Boquetena grows coffee too.

Here the beans are basking in the Panama sun. We've taken coffee tours before in Central America, so a honey tour was a nice switch. But honey and coffee is even better.

Emily the honey lady walking through her coffee plants.

Dreamy Fudge Cremosa

The honey tasting was really delicious and fun. On the tour, I was surprised at the miniature size of the actual bees. Tiny. During the tasting, one of my favorite flavors was called Lemonade. The bees in Boquete produce such a myriad of flavors, that Emily has a big job coming up with names that speak of the flavor profile. I purchased a Lavender infusion. And the fabulous Fudge Cremosa shown above. I'm so glad she added shipping to her website.

That's a relief!

You've got mail! Whether you want it or not. Over at The Chorus of the Crows

The links:

Travel Photo Thursday

My Favorite Trip